SOLUTION: An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 16 inches. If the length of one of the two equal sides is 5 inches, what is the length of the other side?

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Question 776158: An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 16 inches. If the length of one of the two equal sides is 5 inches, what is the length of the other side?
Answer by MathLover1(20850) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
An isosceles triangle is a triangle with two equal sides.
Let sides be a and two equal sides b.
Then a perimeter is P=a%2B2b.
If an isosceles triangle has a perimeter of P=16in, then we have:
16in=a%2B2b
If the length of one of the two equal sides is 5in, then b=5in and 16in=a%2B2%2A5in
or 16in=a%2B10in....now solve for a to find the length of the other side
16in-10in=a
a=6in...the length of the other side